Past guest and friend of the show Todd “Toddzilla” Austin lost his home, pets, car, and belongings earlier this week in a tragic house fire. Todd, who’s been a staple of the Nashville music scene (Jones World, Funkhammer, Purple Masquerade) for 2-plus decades, was out of town with his girlfriend when the fire struck. The material losses, including a classic Corvette, several vintage guitars and pieces of music equipment, were bad enough. Most tragically though, the loss of a number of pet cats is a devastating blow to a human who’s heart is bigger than his already-immense talent.

Todd “Toddzilla” Austin

Fellow musician Tyson Leslie set up a GoFundMecampaign to help Todd financially pick up the pieces. The response has been nothing short of amazing; with the Nashville music community going above and beyond to contribute funds to help an integral part of the scene. As you heard in Todd’s appearances on our show, it’s rare to find someone so entertaining, talented, and down to earth. He’s been a generous part of this community as it’s changed rapidly over the years. Seeing the community give back to one of their own is part of what makes Nashville a special place in this writer’s opinion.

For local readers/listeners, there will be a benefit concert taking place on July 1st at The Basement East. The concert, organized by local musicians Philip Shouse and Ryan Wariner, will be used to further raise money to help Todd get back on his feet. More details will be shared as they are announced.

I’m asking our readers/listeners to please dig deep and contribute to the GoFundMecampaign linked below. Todd’s got a long road ahead of him and I have no doubt that he will persevere and come out on top of all of this. It’s not his style to give up. In the meantime, while he’s getting things back in order, I implore you to give if you can. You’ll truly be making a difference in the life of someone that deserves it. Thanks for reading and thank you in advance for helping.